Hello, New Here!

[Devin93]

Hello Everyone!

Just joined these forums, I'm interested in saving some $ on gas! I own a 2003 Mazda Protege LX with an Auto Tran and I'm looking to get the best gas mileage out of it as possible. I live in Phoenix and have a 15 mile commute to work that is all highway (Loop 101).

[Jay2TheRescue]

Welcome!

[theholycow]

How is the traffic on your commute?

Some things you'll want to read up on, for highway fuel economy:
- Increased tire pressure
- Drafting (which for fuel economy is NOT like in racing where you're tailgating; in fact it's further back than most other highway drivers drive)
- Keeping a long following distance that prevents you from having to brake for the speed fluctuations of the driver in front of you (when not drafting)
- Warm air intake
- Grill blocking
- Aerodynamic modifications (which can range from mild to completely crazy)
- Engine block heater

[8$PG]

Problems with short highway trips (when there is no congestion) are mainly the auto trans and gasoline-engine. It takes some time for the engine to reach temperature and meanwhile the efficiency is not that good. The transmission usually doesn't engage lock-up either until the engine is warm. Keeping a lower speed during warm-up time might help so the distance you've covered with cold engine is less.

And use engine block heater through the winter below 50F.

[Devin93]

Originally Posted by theholycow

How is the traffic on your commute?

Some things you'll want to read up on, for highway fuel economy:
- Increased tire pressure
- Drafting (which for fuel economy is NOT like in racing where you're tailgating; in fact it's further back than most other highway drivers drive)
- Keeping a long following distance that prevents you from having to brake for the speed fluctuations of the driver in front of you (when not drafting)
- Warm air intake
- Grill blocking
- Aerodynamic modifications (which can range from mild to completely crazy)
- Engine block heater

How can I setup a warm air intake? And I just filled up and set my trip meter so I'll see soon what my baseline MPG is.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Devin93

How can I setup a warm air intake? And I just filled up and set my trip meter so I'll see soon what my baseline MPG is.

I think most people rig up plumbing for intake air to pass by the exhaust manifold. You'll definitely want to do some searching.

Don't forget to practice good filling habits (same pump, facing same direction, at the same time of day, don't top off after the nozzle clicks off) if you want to get better data from individual fills (though that data is still never perfect), and keep a good log. You could enter your car into the garage here and keep a gaslog here on this site.